Autism – Vaccines are Innocent (Part 2)

Although dozens of studies - examining over 1 million children – have failed to find any credible association between shots and autism, speculation that the two are tied together continues to stick in parents’ minds. Why? One reason is because many parents note that their child seemed to be developing normally until 18-24 months...right around the time of routine vaccines. But, might this sudden loss of abilities just be a coincidence? Absolutely, yes!

Every day, serious and amazing things occur, purely by chance. Think of it this way, in a large country like the US, a one-in-a-million coincidence happens 300 times a day. Approximately 48,000 children are diagnosed with autism every year and in about 1/3 of those cases (16,000/year…300/w) are normally developing kids who show abrupt deterioration (a special type of this disease called “regressive” autism). Regression usually appears between a child’s 1st and 3rd birthdays, a period during which they get shots 4 separate times.

Do the calculations and you quickly realize that every year, over 1200 children will spiral into autism during the 1-week periods that follow these 4 shot visits… just by pure, utter, random chance. Such a high chance of coincidence means that a parent who hears about 4-5 toddlers (or even 4-500 toddlers) who worsen after shots may easily be fooled into assuming that the cause of the autism was the shots...but that would be a totally false conclusion.

Scientists have repeatedly investigated toddlers with sudden developmental problems and have found no link with vaccines. University of Michigan scientists analyzing 351 children with autism (1/2 with the regressive form) noted the average age for regression was 19 months and found no correlation to when shots were done. Perhaps, the biggest reason parents have believed vaccine avoiders’ unfounded claims is the current “science vacuum.”

Government and medical leaders have reacted to the autism explosion with horribly lethargy. As a result, we lack credible answers to many pressing questions. This vacuum has allowed the cold wind of speculation to spread doubt and fear through the hearts and minds of concerned parents. Some parents who skip vaccines do so because the diseases are so uncommon. But, the great irony is that the only reason killers like polio and whooping cough have become so uncommon…is because of all the other parents who have made sure that their kids were immunized.

By Harvey Karp | 0 Comments

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